MIAMI – The Haitian-American Grassroots Coalition (HAGC), a Haitian human rights group based in Miami, is deeply troubled by recent actions undertaken by the Obama Administration aiming at Haitian Nationals at home and abroad.
As they battle violence in the streets and being gunned-down by United Nations Troops for protesting against a cholera outbreak being introduced by foreign troops and the annulment of Haiti recent elections, several agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the United States Department of State, both have recently implemented a series of punitive policies impacting on certain Haitian Nationals.
As Haiti is sinking deeper and deeper into political turmoils due to mainly recent fraudulent elections that have now reached an impasse, some 3,000 Haitians who have already served their time in jail are now being targeted for apprehension and summary removal to their homeland, among them include some stateless Haitians who were born in the Bahamas from a Haitian Parent.
The timing of this removal represents a lapse in judgement from some some policymakers, and may have serious consequences on a fragile Haiti. The country is so fragile, insisted Jean-Robert Lafortune, HAGC Chairman. it may explode at any time and trigger possible civil war.
The U.S Department of State last week published a communique warning U.S Citizen not to travel to Haiti because of the potential for violence in Port-au-Prince and in Haiti Provinces. This action is not consistent with the position of the Agency Officials who a week earlier requested the members of the Haitian Diaspora to intervene and encourage medical professionals who speak Haitian Creole to volunteer for a three week-period in Haiti in order to help combat the cholera outbreak, continues Lafortune who attended the national conference call sponsored by the State Department earlier this month. No one knows for certain whether or not the U.S Government is after Haiti President Rene Preval for mismanaging the elections or the Haitian people.
Recent statement made by the U.N Military Envoy in Haiti, Mr. Edmond Mulet, threatening the Haitian Population that the U.N Troops and the Funds for Haiti Reconstruction will leave Haiti if the recent Elections are annulled sent shock waves in Haiti and the Diaspora and cast doubt about the reliability of those claiming being friends with Haiti. Statement made by the newly appointed Haiti Reconstruction Czar, Ambassador Thomas Adams, before a group of Haitian-American leaders in Miami indicates that the U.S Government was consulted before Mr. Mulet made his statement and that the U.S supports MINUSTAH that has been blamed by Haitians for introducing cholera in Haiti.
The deadly bacteria has now reached deeply into Haiti’s heartland and the United Nations so far has been unable to raise the 164,000,000 dollars donations it requested last month that it hopes to use in anti-cholera initiatives, a disease that may eventually infect some 600,000 people by next year. U.N inability’s to raise these funds may signal some disengagement of the international community towards Haiti.
Haitian-American Leaders in South Florida are coordinating a rally this Monday, December 20th, 2010 in Miami Little Haiti at 1:30 pm at 8325 NE 2 Avenue Miami, Florida 33138 in order to voice their concerns regarding these new punitive policies and threat of the Obama Administration towards Haiti.
